I have been to Viscaya at least 3 times before.  It is a place I can go visit and never see everything.  Each time I go back I see something different.  This month Daniel was car hunting, and so he and Amy were going down to Miami to look and see what they could find.  Amy asked if I would like to go to Viscaya since they was down there and I was happy to.   Welcome to the home of John Deering, Viscaya.

Born in 1859, in Maine, James Deering, retired in his mid fifties.  Due to health reasons, James Deering decided to build his home in South Florida.  It was hoped that the warm, sunny climate would improve his health.  And so in 1910 began the plans to build his new home.  James Deering, from everything I have seen was an interesting man and one I think I would have enjoyed having a conversation with.  In 1952, Viscaya was transferred to the county and opened as a historic property well worth visiting.

As you walk around the opulent house and beautiful grounds one thing that stands out is that there is a number of influences and from what I have read he was fascinated by travel, legends and mythology.  Neptune is seen around the house and very much in the gardens.

The house is rich with beautiful timeless pieces that illuminate the surroundings and the stunning wall hangings.

The ceilings match the opulence of the home and the walls reflect the very South Florida look.

 

Ornate edgings and beautiful doors are just a part of this beautiful domed walkway.

Heading up the stairs we came across stunning stained glass doors that have stood through the ages.

In corners and domed display areas you will find statues of interest ranging from local to international, of people or of mythology.

There are decadent sitting rooms rich with drapes and ornamental objects on display.

As we pass by a window we got a view of just a small portion of Viscaya’s beautiful gardens that lead up to a pavilion area.  But beyond these gardens to the left and right are more gardens, and this time I spent time exploring those gardens.

This is a bed that little girls dream of and in James Deering’s house, many guests stayed in.  Life, from what I have read, was spent in Viscaya over the winter months, very often with family or guests.

This stair case is a favorite of mine and as much as I try to lean as far over I can never quite get the full spiral.

Having explored the upstairs we went down and decided to venture out into the hot hot summers day of South Florida.

There is some beautiful stain glass windows just before you go outside and I love the view you get of the gardens through them.

We are outside and you are seeing just a portion of the house that faces the Bay of Biscayne.

To the right, by way of a pathway, and over a bridge stand a beautiful portico.  A favorite spot for photographers taking wedding pictures, or Quinceañera, for the 16 year old Spanish girls birthdays.

To the left another bridge that appeared to go down to a set of steps where perhaps guest stepped onto a boat.  Since the last time I was down here this area has been badly damage, I can only assume, by one of the hurricanes that has passed over this area.

My understanding was that the barge was built as a break water structure.  That said history has it that James Deering and his guest would be ferried by boat or gondola to the barge for afternoon tea and at times cocktails.

A large part of the estate is built with coral and you will see this throughout the gardens.

Beautiful ponds of water lilies are visible as well.

Lining the walkways are a series of statues

And again you see the influence of international travel with the sphinx typically found  in Egypt.

There is beautiful color in the gardens and whenever, I see Anthurium I am reminded of my mother.  She loved this beautiful waxy looking flower, and while my father grew orchids, below them he grew Anthurium for my mother.

I have walked these gardens many times but this was the first time I really looked more closely at these statues.  Shown here were mermen holding pots on their shoulders while being overseen by driver.

Reflections depict that which is above, and this statue with all its glory, has two interestingly strange looking lions at the top.

We walk up the side steps to a beautiful pavilion, which back in the day was known to James Deering’s guests as the casino.  From the top of the pavilion there are levels of this beautiful terraced waterfall and on either side a series of steps.

To the left and right are secluded areas not unlike a small atrium.  The inside was built with coral and, in its hey day, this appeared to be a fountain with seating to either side of it.

On the outside of the area were statues of mermen and mermaids, almost guarding those that entered in.

Beyond the steps more ponds with water lily and on occasions I have spotted a great big frog.

This was probably my favorite image of Amy and Daniel.  They took a fun one just before of them on either side of the pillared portico.  I asked them to stand together for this one.  Granted by now we were all beyond hot and sweaty.

As we are walking back to the house there is a water fountain with frogs and iguana at the edges of it.  This was not the frog that I saw in the pond either but the size does not seem far off it.  Just joking.  I loved how the water drops float across the image.

If you are heading to Miami, and who doesn’t want to go to Miami at some point in the visit to Florida, take some time out in your visit to stop by Viscaya.  In fact, take a few hours to go through the house and the property.  Winter is probably a better time to do it but whichever time you go, know that you are in for a blast into the past, and a treat that will keep you looking and wishing you could have seen everything in one visit.  I know that some day in the future I will visit Viscaya for a 5th time.  I don’t think it will ever grow “old” for me despite the age and time period of this beautiful building.  I hope that you enjoyed taking a walk with us.

Thank you for joining us for another month of 30 Minutes. Just a reminder that this is a circle blog.  We have a number of new ladies join the 30 minutes group, making us now 15 bloggers,  and so I would encourage you to take some time to visit my very talented friend Crystal  of Crystal Bella Photography, and see what she has for you this month.  I am pretty  excited to learn more about these wonderful ladies from all over the world.  I would certainly encourage you to visit their pages.

 

I will start out by saying Happy Summer and advise you that this is going to be a long post.  I’m sorry but this place warrants it, for me.  As you will recall were were in San Antonio in April and I wanted to share this day before moving on to New York blogs.

The last day in San Antonio, I managed to convince Richard that we needed to go and visit the missions.  Now I will tell you that looking at old buildings is not Richard’s favorite past time.  I on the other hand, love history, old buildings and anything genealogical.  I mentioned it before but it is worth mentioning again, the bus system in San Antonio is fantastic.  We got around pretty easily.  I had listed 3 missions to visit;  Mission San Juan Capistrano, Mission San Jose Church, and Mission Concepcion.  If you are interested in doing this trip, just be prepared to make it a day trip so that you can take time to appreciate the essence of each mission.  Make sure to take lots of water especially if you are in the summer months.

Each one was unique and well worth visiting, in my opinion.  However, the one I really enjoyed the most was Mission San Jose Church.  This mission is known as the Queen of the Missions.  You will see why as you read through the blog.

As you enter Mission San Jose, you get the sense of being part of something so old and so historic.  In February 23, 1720 Mission San Jose was founded by Father Antonio Margil.

These missions were founded to secure the land, and to be able to teach Christianity and its way of life to the local Indians.  These Indians were the  Coahuiltecan Indians, a small band of Native American Indians that lived in the Rio Grand Valley.  This tribe of Indians was seriously diminished by disease such as smallpox, and of course, slavery.

The inside of the outer wall, we found a number of doorways.  The outer wall was thick enough to build housing for around 350 Indians.

The buildings included rooms for guests, officers, a place to eat and a pantry area.

As I walked along the pathway I wondered how long, and how many people it took to build this incredible building.

In 1768, a church was built using local limestone.  This church is still an active church today and  Order of Friars Minor, a Catholic order, staffs the church.

In 1794, the property was given to the Indians and in 1824 the missions activities ended. The photo below shows the entrance gates into the mission grounds.

When I researched the various sights to see, I remember seeing and being fascinated with the beauty of the arches in this building.

In 1932, the buildings were repaired and restored.  The walls, quarters and bastion were restored.  The granary was also repaired and restored.  In 2001 the gristmill was opened

I was able to walk into a small chapel in my wanderings around.  It was simple and peaceful.  As was the bench outside.

Below, this window is known as the Rose Window.  History would have us believe that there were two possibilities to the naming of this ornate window.  The first was that the window was possibly named after the creators girlfriend who, when traveling from Spain, tragically died at sea.  The other possibility was that the window was named after the first Saint of the new world, Saint Rose of Lima.  The craftsman however, is not known, although it is thought that he could be Pedro Huizar.  This window is one of the finest examples of baroque architecture.

The tile in the image above is apparently the original tile, although somewhat faded and damaged.

While I have tried to research the significance of these two crosses, I have not found the answer.

We meandered to the back of the church and came across the granary and the grist mill, both equally interesting.

The granary was also repaired and restored.  If you are interested in reading more about the granary and the grist mill reconstruction you can do so here.

There is these mini aqueducts through the garden carrying the water to the mill.

Once again we headed back to walk along the side wall heading out of the mission.  I came across some interesting areas that just caught my eye.

Inside this glass casing was a miniature replica of the entire Mission San Jose.

This stunning Queen of the Missions became the showplace of the Southwest. I can certainly believe this.  Its rough beauty is unparalleled to anything I have seen.  If you are in San Antonio, stop by and visit this beautiful mission.

As I said, it is a long post.  There were just so many corners and arches and places to visit.

Thank you for joining me this month as we spend time sharing another day in our lives.  This is a circle blog.  Take some time to view what the other artists have for you this month.   Beth’s Photoblog is up next and I can’t wait to read what she has to share.